Alectrosaurus

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Quick Facts
Name	Alectrosaurus
Diet	Carnivore
Weight	1000 kilos
Length	5 meters
Height	2 meters
Period	Late Cretaceous

Alectrosaurus was a genus of tyrannosauroid theropod dinosaur that lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous period. In 1923, the first fossil specimen was discovered by George Olsen, and in 1933 it was named by Charles W. Gilmore. The name means "lone lizard" in reference to "being alone" - at that time. Unlike other Asian dinosaurs, it was thought to be quiet.

Compared to Tyrannosaurus Rex, it was much smaller and thinner and was not well preserved. It was a bipedal dinosaur or walked on two legs. It was believed that only birds had a wishbone for many years, but alectrosaurs also had one. However, it was now known to be shared for a theropod, as other theropods then had it. It was a medium-sized species, a moderately built theropod; the length of its tibia (lower leg bone) and femur were very close.

Alectrosaurus reached a maximum of about 17 feet long and weighed between ½ ton or 1 ton.

What does alectrosaurus mean?

The name Alectrosaurus means "lizard alone" in reference to "being alone" - at that time.

When does the alectrosaurus live?

Alectrosaurus was a genus of tyrannosauroid theropod dinosaur that lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous period.

What does the alectrosaurus eat?

The alectrosaurus feeds on meat or is known as a carnivore.

Where was the Alectrosaurus found?

Alectrosaurus fossils were found in different places such as Inner Mongolia (China), the Navoiy region (Uzbekistan) and Ömnögovi (Mongolia).

Where did they live?

When did they live?

What was your diet?

Who discovered them?

What kind of dinosaurs are they?

What type of species are they?

How are they classified?

References

Rothschild, B., Tanke, D. H., and Ford, T. L., 2001, Theropod stress fractures and tendon avulsions as a clue to activity: In: Mesozoic Vertebrate Life, edited by Tanke, D. H., and Carpenter, K., Indiana University Press, p. 331-336.
Gilmore, C.W. (1933). On the dinosaurian fauna of the Iren Dabasu Formation. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 67:23-78.
Perle, A. (1977). [On the first finding of Alectrosaurus (Tyrannosauridae, Theropoda) in the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia]. Problem Geologii Mongolii 3:104-113. [In Russian]
Hicks, J.F., Brinkman, D.L., Nichols, D.J., and Watabe, M. (1999). Paleomagnetic and palynological analyses of Albian to Santonian strata at Bayn Shireh, Burkhant, and Khuren Dukh, eastern Gobi Desert, Mongolia. Cretaceous Research 20(6): 829-850.
van Itterbeecka, J., Horne, D.J., Bultynck, P., and Vandenbergh, N. (2005). Stratigraphy and palaeoenvironment of the dinosaur-bearing Upper Cretaceous Iren Dabasu Formation, Inner Mongolia, People's Republic of China. Cretaceous Research 26:699-725.
Currie, P.J. (2001). Theropods from the Cretaceous of Mongolia. In: Benton, M.J., Shishkin, M.A., Unwin, D.M., and Kurochkin, E.N. (Eds.). The Age of Dinosaurs in Russia and Mongolia. Cambridge University Press:Cambridge, 434-455. ISBN 0-521-54582-X.
Holtz, T.R. (2004). Tyrannosauroidea. In: Weishampel, D.A., Dodson, P., and Osmólska, H. (Eds.). The Dinosauria (2nd Edition). University of California Press:Berkeley, 111-136. ISBN 0-520-24209-2.
"Albertosaurus." In: Dodson, Peter & Britt, Brooks & Carpenter, Kenneth & Forster, Catherine A. & Gillette, David D. & Norell, Mark A. & Olshevsky, George & Parrish, J. Michael & Weishampel, David B. The Age of Dinosaurs. Publications International, LTD. p. 106-107. ISBN 0-7853-0443-6.
Mader, B.J., and Bradley, R.L. (1989). A redescription and revised diagnosis of the syntypes of the Mongolian tyrannosaur. Alectrosaurus olseni. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 9(1):41-55.
Holtz, T.R. (2001). The phylogeny and taxonomy of the Tyrannosauridae. In: Tanke, D.H., and Carpenter, K. (Eds.). Mesozoic Vertebrate Life. Indiana University Press:Bloomington, 64-83. ISBN 0-253-33907-3.

Fun Facts

The name Alectrosaurus means "lone lizard" in reference to "being alone" - at that time.
It was much smaller and thinner compared to the T-rex.
He walked on two legs.
He was a carnivore.